Learning is not about memorization, taking tests, and writing essays. Learning is about developing an understanding of a topic so that students can relate it their own lives and explain to others why it is important to them. It is also about making connections between the information that is learned to develop a big picture, an umbrella concept that connects all of the skills and topics to a common idea. Teaching students to appreciate the importance of the material that they are learning is my main philosophy. I hope to influence my students to have a personal connection with the topics of science and to educate them to the level that they will not only understand, but continue to spread their knowledge to others. Through relating science to their lives, having them experience science first hand, and connecting science to a big picture, I hope to have my students develop their understanding of the material that they are learning in my class.
Every aspect of science curriculum can be linked to real life applications. As a science teacher, I will be sure that my students understand why they need to know the material before it is taught so that they will have a personal investment in the material and see the significance of understanding the topics. Once they feel like there is a purpose to what they will be learning, they will understand the big question of why they are learning it. This will also give them a reason to care about the material that they are learning. Ideas such as global warming for example, will be something that the students will need to know about in their future, and they will see the importance of learning the material for their own benefit. If my students have a desire to learn, they will grasp the concepts much better then if they are just learning the material in order to ace a test. It is the knowledge that they gain that applies to their lives that will stick with them and this will show their true understanding of science.
Every topic in science can be related to a big idea. In the classroom, I will always relate the lessons to an overall main idea that is the purpose of the unit. Building the lessons together in a logical order and continuously relating the material to the main idea will show my students not only how all of the material relates, but also show them why they are learning it. It is important that the big picture is something that each student can relate to, and then in turn relate each lesson to this overall main idea. In this way, my students will always know why they are learning and they will see a value in understanding the material.
Along with seeing the personal benefit of learning, I also hope to promote the idea that my students can make a difference in the world. Through educating others of what they are learning, they can spread the knowledge that they develop in my classroom onto others in their family, schools, neighborhoods, etc. My students will be so passionate about what they are learning, that they will teach others. I hope to provide opportunity for my students to actually experience this in the classroom. For example, if they were learning about water quality, we could take a trip to a nearby river and perform water quality tests. The next step would be to have volunteers from the community who want to learn how to test the quality of their water come and the students could teach the volunteers. The students would also be able to inform the community about the importance of water quality testing in this way. They will learn that they too can promote change by informing others. From a teacher’s perspective, this will be the ultimate indication of understanding. When I see my students explaining to others how ecosystems work, I will know that they understand.
My teaching philosophy revolves around the idea that my students will legitimately care about what they are learning. By relating the material to a main idea of a real life application, I will promote personal investment into the subject by my students. By invoking a passion for learning, they will spread their knowledge and develop a confidence level and pride in their understanding of science.
Genetics Unit:
The unit will build off of knowledge that the students will have gained throughout the school year thus far. They will have previously planted spouts, which they will observe and study in Lesson 1 of the unit. This will give them an idea about how genes are passed to the next generation, but it will also allow them to question how this happens. With the inquiry in the first lesson, the students will be left wondering about the mechanism of genetic inheritance, which is the basis of the unit. Lesson 2 brings the students into the topic on a personal level. They will look at their own traits and figure out what types of genes they have. This will make the whole idea of genetics meaningful to the students, and give them a direct link to their own lives. The next few lessons will teach the basis of heredity and how the ideas were discovered. After the first two lessons, the students will be left with questions about how this all happens, and these main ideas will be taught. My rationale for this unit is to keep the students involved with the topic and thinking about how it relates to their own lives. The students will be able to figure out why they look the way they do, with their own unique traits, after the unit is finished.
Teaching Rationale:
Learning is not about memorization, taking tests, and writing essays. Learning is about developing an understanding of a topic so that students can relate it their own lives and explain to others why it is important to them. It is also about making connections between the information that is learned to develop a big picture, an umbrella concept that connects all of the skills and topics to a common idea. Teaching students to appreciate the importance of the material that they are learning is my main philosophy. I hope to influence my students to have a personal connection with the topics of science and to educate them to the level that they will not only understand, but continue to spread their knowledge to others. Through relating science to their lives, having them experience science first hand, and connecting science to a big picture, I hope to have my students develop their understanding of the material that they are learning in my class.
Every aspect of science curriculum can be linked to real life applications. As a science teacher, I will be sure that my students understand why they need to know the material before it is taught so that they will have a personal investment in the material and see the significance of understanding the topics. Once they feel like there is a purpose to what they will be learning, they will understand the big question of why they are learning it. This will also give them a reason to care about the material that they are learning. Ideas such as global warming for example, will be something that the students will need to know about in their future, and they will see the importance of learning the material for their own benefit. If my students have a desire to learn, they will grasp the concepts much better then if they are just learning the material in order to ace a test. It is the knowledge that they gain that applies to their lives that will stick with them and this will show their true understanding of science.
Every topic in science can be related to a big idea. In the classroom, I will always relate the lessons to an overall main idea that is the purpose of the unit. Building the lessons together in a logical order and continuously relating the material to the main idea will show my students not only how all of the material relates, but also show them why they are learning it. It is important that the big picture is something that each student can relate to, and then in turn relate each lesson to this overall main idea. In this way, my students will always know why they are learning and they will see a value in understanding the material.
Along with seeing the personal benefit of learning, I also hope to promote the idea that my students can make a difference in the world. Through educating others of what they are learning, they can spread the knowledge that they develop in my classroom onto others in their family, schools, neighborhoods, etc. My students will be so passionate about what they are learning, that they will teach others. I hope to provide opportunity for my students to actually experience this in the classroom. For example, if they were learning about water quality, we could take a trip to a nearby river and perform water quality tests. The next step would be to have volunteers from the community who want to learn how to test the quality of their water come and the students could teach the volunteers. The students would also be able to inform the community about the importance of water quality testing in this way. They will learn that they too can promote change by informing others. From a teacher’s perspective, this will be the ultimate indication of understanding. When I see my students explaining to others how ecosystems work, I will know that they understand.
My teaching philosophy revolves around the idea that my students will legitimately care about what they are learning. By relating the material to a main idea of a real life application, I will promote personal investment into the subject by my students. By invoking a passion for learning, they will spread their knowledge and develop a confidence level and pride in their understanding of science.
Genetics Unit:
The unit will build off of knowledge that the students will have gained throughout the school year thus far. They will have previously planted spouts, which they will observe and study in Lesson 1 of the unit. This will give them an idea about how genes are passed to the next generation, but it will also allow them to question how this happens. With the inquiry in the first lesson, the students will be left wondering about the mechanism of genetic inheritance, which is the basis of the unit. Lesson 2 brings the students into the topic on a personal level. They will look at their own traits and figure out what types of genes they have. This will make the whole idea of genetics meaningful to the students, and give them a direct link to their own lives. The next few lessons will teach the basis of heredity and how the ideas were discovered. After the first two lessons, the students will be left with questions about how this all happens, and these main ideas will be taught. My rationale for this unit is to keep the students involved with the topic and thinking about how it relates to their own lives. The students will be able to figure out why they look the way they do, with their own unique traits, after the unit is finished.